Folk and Barn Dancing
Everyone is invited to dance at Fermilab!
There is folk dancing in the Village Barn two or three
times every week, and the public is welcome to join in. Four different groups
meet to dance at Fermilab - barn dancing,
international folk dancing,
Scottish country dancing, and
English country dancing.
Barn Dancing
Barn dancing, with traditional American contra and square dances, is taught and
called to live music the second Sunday of the month at 6:30 p.m. from September
through June, and the third Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. from November to
April. This is presented by the Fermilab Folk Club, the
Fox Valley Folklore Society and the
Chicago Barn Dance Company.
Barn Dancing is being held at the
Kuhn Village Barn.
Please send email to folkclub@fnal.gov for more barn dance info.
More information can be found at the Folk Club's web site or by contacting Lynn
Garren at (630)840-2061, e-mail: garren@fnal.gov, or Dave Harding at
(630)840-2971, e-mail: harding@fnal.gov.
International Folk
Dancing
International Folk Dancing,
featuring line, circle, couple, trio, and
group dances from primarily Europe and the Middle East, meets every
Thursday year round beginning at 7:30 p.m. Newcomers are welcome to
join any week; the evening usually begins with the teaching of easy
dances and progresses to more challenging ones. Later in the evening
dances are done by request, and beginners are encouraged to stay and
follow along, a great way to learn and get good exercise. There is a
wonderful variety of styles and music. The group is also open and
welcoming to children. (Children must, however, dance, or play quietly
under parental supervision, as there is no childcare provided. ) From
time to time the group hosts professional folk dance researchers and
instructors who offer special workshops open to everyone, and holds
parties with live music.
Silk and Thistle
Scottish Country Dancing
Silk and
Thistle Scottish Country Dancing
is a class of the Chicago
branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and meets year
round every Tuesday beginning at 7:30 p.m. The dances are taught by
Doug Jensen, a physicist at Fermilab. They are traditional social
dances done in sets of couples, distinguished by stylized footwork
(and the costume of the kilt, sometimes in evidence, but certainly not
required). Beginners are always welcome, and are encouraged to come
early in the evening, when the easiest dances are taught. Basic steps
are presented and the figures and patterns are walked through . The
group is particularly friendly and welcoming to beginners.
English Country Dancing
English Country Dancing
is Fermilab's newest dance group, an outgrowth
of the interest of dancers in the other groups to have more time for
this type of set dancing. The group has been meeting once a month,
from 2 to 5 p.m., generally either the last or the first Sunday of the
month. Like Scottish and contra dancing, most of the dances are made
up of figures done in sets. The basic step is walking, and English
country is relatively less strenuous than other dance forms. There is
wonderful recorded music, but live music is also a fairly frequent
possibility and interested musicians are encouraged to contact the
organizers.
Location
International, Scottish, and English dancing at Fermilab are most
often held at Kuhn Barn in Fermilab's Village. The weekly groups
generally move to Ramsey Auditorium of Fermilab's high-rise Wilson
Hall during the summer months, or when there is a special event at the
Barn. English dancing remains at the Barn unless forced out by
excessively hot weather. For directions, click on the links above.
Barn dancing is presently at the
Kuhn Village Barn.
Sponsorship
International, Scottish, and English dancing at Fermilab are partly
sponsored by the
lab's women's organization
(NALWO) and are intended
to offer recreational possibilities not only to employees and the many
foreign visitors at the lab as well as the surrounding communities.
There is no cost to dance in these groups, but donations are
appreciated. When there is live music, as at special parties, or at
the Barn dances, an entrance fee is charged to cover costs.
Village Barn
To get there from
the east: turn west onto Batavia Road from Rt. 59 in Warrenville. Go past the
guardhouse (stopping for a pass, if needed) and turn right at the first stop
sign. The barn is the second building on the right. To get there from the west:
turn east onto Pine Street from Kirk Road in Batavia. Pass the 15 story high
rise building and continue on past another stop sign and a blinking red light
to the stop sign at Sauk Blvd/Circle in the Fermilab Village. Turn left and the
barn is second on the right. The international folk dancing and Scottish
country dancing groups continue dancing weekly through July and August,
retreating to air-conditioned Ramsey
Auditorium located at the back of the ground floor of Wilson Hall, the
high-rise.
For More
Information
More information about International, Scottish and English dancing at
Fermilab is available by phone from Mady at (630)584-0825 or Doug at (630)840-8194; by
e-mail from folkdance@fnal.gov; or by
checking the
Silk and Thistle,
English Country Dancing, or
International Folk Dancing
web pages.
The groups are endorsed by the
Folk Dance Council of Chicago
which maintains a web site with information about folk dancing all around
Chicagoland.
More information about Barn Dancing at Fermilab is available by phone from Lynn
Garren at (630)840-2061 or Dave Harding at (630)840-2971; by e-mail from
folkclub@fnal.gov; or by checking the
Folk Club web pages.
|